TY - JOUR
T1 - Genetic diversity and structure of the critically endangered Artocarpus annulatus, a crop wild relative of jackfruit (A. heterophyllus)
AU - Dickinson, Leta
AU - Noble, Hilary
AU - Gardner, Elliot
AU - Ahmad Puad, Aida Shafreena
AU - Wan Zakaria, Wan Nuur Fatiha
AU - Zerega, Nyree J.C.
N1 - Funding Information:
This research was supported by Northwestern University's Undergraduate Research Grant program, the Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund (project number 152511619), and the National Science Foundation (DBI award number 1711391). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.
PY - 2020
Y1 - 2020
N2 - Limestone karsts of Southeast Asia can harbor high levels of endemism, but are highly fragmented, increasingly threatened, and their biodiversity is often poorly studied. This is true of the Padawan Limestone Area of Sarawak, Malaysia, home to the endemic Artocarpus annulatus, the closest known wild relative of two important and underutilized fruit tree crops, jackfruit (A. heterophyllus) and cempedak (A. integer). Identifying and conserving crop wild relatives is critical for the conservation of crop genetic diversity and breeding. In 2016 and 2017, five A. annulatus populations were located, and leaf material, locality information, and demographic data were collected. Microsatellite markers were used to assess genetic diversity and structure among populations, and to compare levels of genetic diversity to closely related congeneric species. Results indicate no evidence of inbreeding in A. annulatus, and there is no genetic structure among the five populations. However, diversity measures trended lower in seedlings compared to mature trees, suggesting allelic diversity may be under threat in the youngest generation of plants. Also, genetic diversity is lower in A. annulatus compared to closely related congeners. The present study provides a baseline estimate of A. annulatus genetic diversity that can be used for comparison in future studies and to other species in the unique limestone karst ecosystems. Considerations for in situ and ex situ conservation approaches are discussed.
AB - Limestone karsts of Southeast Asia can harbor high levels of endemism, but are highly fragmented, increasingly threatened, and their biodiversity is often poorly studied. This is true of the Padawan Limestone Area of Sarawak, Malaysia, home to the endemic Artocarpus annulatus, the closest known wild relative of two important and underutilized fruit tree crops, jackfruit (A. heterophyllus) and cempedak (A. integer). Identifying and conserving crop wild relatives is critical for the conservation of crop genetic diversity and breeding. In 2016 and 2017, five A. annulatus populations were located, and leaf material, locality information, and demographic data were collected. Microsatellite markers were used to assess genetic diversity and structure among populations, and to compare levels of genetic diversity to closely related congeneric species. Results indicate no evidence of inbreeding in A. annulatus, and there is no genetic structure among the five populations. However, diversity measures trended lower in seedlings compared to mature trees, suggesting allelic diversity may be under threat in the youngest generation of plants. Also, genetic diversity is lower in A. annulatus compared to closely related congeners. The present study provides a baseline estimate of A. annulatus genetic diversity that can be used for comparison in future studies and to other species in the unique limestone karst ecosystems. Considerations for in situ and ex situ conservation approaches are discussed.
KW - Biodiversity conservation
KW - Endemic species
KW - Habitat fragmentation
KW - Karst limestone
KW - Malaysia
KW - Microsatellites
KW - Plant genetic resources
KW - Sarawak
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U2 - 10.7717/peerj.9897
DO - 10.7717/peerj.9897
M3 - Article
C2 - 33005490
AN - SCOPUS:85092423206
VL - 8
JO - PeerJ
JF - PeerJ
SN - 2167-8359
M1 - e9897
ER -